


How high can you fly with broken wings?

by Aimee94



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alpha Iroh, Alpha Jet, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Omega Zuko, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, alpha Azula, hurt zuko
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 19:52:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4577733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aimee94/pseuds/Aimee94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko always knew his father didn't like him all that much, at first it was because of his bending. When he turned 4 and still couldn't throw even a spark, everyone thought he would be a non-bender. But when he turned 6 and presented as an omega, it was like he stopped existing altogether. Of course, that his little sister presented as an alpha really wasn't any help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Zuko always knew his father didn't like him all that much, at first it was because of his bending. When he turned 4 and still couldn't throw even a spark, everyone thought he would be a non-bender. But when he turned 6 and presented as an omega, it was like he stopped existing altogether. Of course, that his little sister presented as an alpha really wasn't any help.

 

It was tradition in the Fire Nation to test all kids at their 4th birthday to see if they would be fire-benders or not. Some children developed their gift as young as 3 year old, while others, late bloomers, didn’t throw sparks until they were 5. However, by the age of 6 every child with the gift of bending was well into their training. Nonetheless, since Azula managed to burn an entire room at age 3, it was only logical that he, the first-born, should have managed something similar, and if by now that he was 5 and long overdue in that aspect, the only explanation was that he was a non-bender, and therefore not an eligible heir for the throne.

One would think that after throwing a temper tantrum so bad that you literally destroyed an entire room, your parents would ground you. Zuko knew that’s what would happen to him if he tried to do something like that. But only his mother seemed upset about all the destruction, his father actually seemed rather happy about it.

As it was, he knew he was just a disappointment in his father’s eyes. He was way too small, too scrawny to be a proper heir, but now he couldn’t even bend. Or at least, that’s what he thought, until he heard his father talking to his trusted generals, about finally having an heir for his throne, and what a relieve it was that it wasn´t him. Never mind that Lu Ten, as a fire-bending Alpha and the first-born of Uncle Iroh, was the heir to the Fire Lord’s throne.

Well, it was fine, he never actually wanted to rule, it never appealed to him in the first place, not like it did for his sister. And that should have told them what would be their secondary gender from the beginning. Still, it was a surprise when the court performed the second traditional test, the test to determine your secondary gender, when he was 6. Everyone was tested that young so their parents could adapt the upbringing of their children to fit their genders, and prepare them for adult life and the changes that puberty would bring. 

Alphas were prepared to lead armies, to fight, to protect (even if there weren’t that many Alphas that filled that role nowadays), and they were taught about rut and Omegas and mating.  
Omegas were prepared to care for the children, about housekeeping, about healing people, about their heat and pregnancies and mating.  
Betas, on the other side, could do whatever they wanted. They didn’t have to worry about heats or ruts unless they were mated to an Omega or an Alpha, and even then, it was only sex for them. And while Alphas where the ones that became soldiers, and leaders; and the Omegas the mothers, cooks and healers; the Betas could be anything, from a high ranking general to a singer and everything in between.

Alphas had their first rut at 13, and then had one every year; Omegas had their first heat at 16, and then had one every year; and Betas just grew up without any worries. No-one knew why the age difference between Alphas and Omegas, some people thought it was to give the Omegas time to grow before a pregnancy, while others thought it just meant that Alphas were superior and thus developed earlier.

So, Zuko was rather hoping he would be a Beta, but of course he presented as an Omega. After his initial disappointment, Zuko thought it would be ok, that way he wouldn’t be a disappointment to his father, since omegas weren’t supposed to lead or fight, it wouldn’t matter that he was small for his age (his sister was taller than him already). He couldn’t be more wrong.

“An omega who can’t bend?” his father asked his court, looking at him with a sneer. “What a waste of space, you should have died the day you were born and spare us wasting all this time on you”. And then he left the room, Azula trailing behind him and snickering as if he had said the funniest joke ever.

His mother hugged him and dried his face with her handkerchief, and that’s when he noticed he was crying. After that, his life just got more complicated as he grew up. His sister’s bulling only got worse, and her friends Ty Lee and Mai, while not sure if it was alright to treat him like that, were too scared of Azula to help him out, especially after she presented as an Alpha. The court didn’t take him seriously, the generals only threw him nasty glances and smiles as he got older, and his father mostly ignored him. Only his mother, and his Uncle Iroh and cousin Lu Ten (when they were present) treated him with love.

But even like that, it was fine, he could take it, he wasn’t weak even if he was an Omega. At least, it was fine until Azula got into her first rut and he had to spend a week in hiding, with the help of his mother and Uncle (Thank Agni), because Azula suddenly wanted him as her mate, and then everything changed.  
Siblings mating each other wasn’t uncommon, actually it was usually the first mating choice in noble families that had Omega and Alpha children, with cousin couples coming second (And he was going to mate with Lu Ten when he had his first heat, but his beloved cousin had died). He never thought Azula would want him as a mate, by the way she treated him he always thought she hated him, but most matings weren’t about love, but about ownership (just look at his parents), and so he shouldn’t be so surprised. But he didn’t want to mate Azula, he wouldn’t live past 20 if he did, and he just knew their children would either suffer or become as cruel as her. 

He thought his father wouldn’t allow his heir mate with him, the disappointment that he was, and risk having worthless grandchildren, and for a while thought he was safe. But one day, after Azula’s rut had finished, his father asked for his presence in the throne room. It was unusual, but he didn’t think any of it, maybe he was going to tell him he was going to be mated with one of his generals. That way Azula could mate with someone “worthy” of her, and really, even Zhao was better that Azula. But no, when he got there he saw her mother’s crying face, Azula’s smug one and his father looking at him with cold eyes.  


“It appears you are actually worth something” he said. “You wouldn’t be my first choice as a mate for my heir, but as Azula told me, even if you are a disappointment, you still have Fire Lord’s blood, so your children could be good enough heirs if they take after Azula,” he smirked at that, probably thinking the same thing Zuko did “but don’t worry, if any take after you, well… let just say that young children are prone to have little… accidents” he finished, cruel eyes piercing into him, as if daring to contradict him. And as horrified as he was at the moment, Zuko was anything but stupid, and he knew when to keep his mouth shut, his life as the Omega son of the Fire Lord had seen to that. Satisfied that his son wouldn’t argue, at least he knew his place, Ozai continued talking.

“Since you still have a year until your first heat, your mating will be postponed until your 16th birthday, but since you didn’t answer to your Alpha’s call when she was in rut, as is your duty, you will be punished by her as she sees fit”. He finished, now looking at Azula and giving her permission to talk and say what kind of punishment he deserved.

“Well, father, the usual punishment for misbehaving Omegas is burning them, isn’t it?” She Asked with fake sweetness, and waited until their father nodded to continue. “But since he’s still a part of the royal family, he should be able to defend himself, so what about Agni Kai?” She said, cruel smile in place, knowing he wouldn’t be able to defend himself as he couldn’t bend.

“Sound good” their father told them, an equally cruel smile in place “Look Zuko, what a considerate Alpha you have, she will let you try to defend your honor” At that, his mother whimpered, unable to remain silent anymore.

“Ozai, please” she said “You know he can’t bend, he wouldn’t be able to do more than stand in front of all your court while Azula burned him again and again, she could kill him!”

“I believe you have interfered enough as it is, Ursa” He answered, visibly angry as he turned to look at her. “I know you and that pathetic brother of mine were the ones to help him hide, and so you too will receive a punishment for your actions” He sat up from his throne and walked to her.

“Father, please, don’t hurt her” Zuko said, trying to go with her mother, only to have Azula grab him painfully and stop him.

"Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you. Remember this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are." Said his mother, tears in his eyes as he looked at the person he loved the most.

“Now, Zuzu, let’s leave the adults speak, shall we?” she asked, and dragged him out of the room, the doors closed immediately by the guards outside. And his mother’s pained screams could be heard through the doors.

“Guards, escort Zuko here to his rooms and stay there, he has an important event later at sunset, wouldn’t want him to be late, so bring him to the Arena” She said, leaving him with the guards. “Bye, Zuzu, see you later” she smirked and went down the hallway, no doubt to dress up in the traditional attire for the duel, even if it wouldn’t be a duel, more like a massacre because he doubted he would survive this. Maybe that was the plan all along, they just needed an excuse to kill him.

So the guards took him to his room, where his maids waited for him to dress him up. Usually, males went bare-chested to this duels, but since he was an Omega, that wouldn’t be proper, so he was dressed in the female attire (which was basically the same loose pants, only with a shirt). Usually, only Alphas and the occasional Beta fought in this duels, since Omegas weren’t thought fire-bending for combat, just so they could control it and for some chores at home. So, even if he could bend, he would be equally screwed. At this point, he only worried for his mother and uncle’s fates, since he already knew what would happen with him.

After a while, he was ready and the guards came to take him there, apparently, everyone was aware of what would happen, because he caught some of them sending him pitying looks. But he didn’t want to be pitied, so he just ignored them and kept on walking. When they arrived to the Arena, he could see that every person in court and every noble was there, but for two people: his mother and his uncle; and he started to worry again.

Fire Lord Ozai stood up from where he was sitting, and everyone shut up. “We are here today to witness an Agni Kai between Prince Zuko and Princess Azula” he started, and many gasps could be heard. They now knew for sure that they were there to witness, not a duel, but a murder. There was no way a non-bender Omega could survive Azula’s viciousness while fighting, even her teachers were afraid of dueling her. “Princess Azula, as you all know, is a very powerful Alpha” he stated, obviously proud “and as she turned 13, she already had her first rut. And as an Alpha, she had the right to choose her mate, but said mate didn’t respond to her call, ignoring his duty” He continued, now looking at Zuko with contempt. “Therefore, Princess Azula had the right to choose the punishment for her Omega, and as the merciful Alpha she is, she will let him fight for his honor in this Agni Kai duel”. At this point, everyone was silent, all knowing this wasn’t happening because of mercy. Some actually looked sick, some looked indifferent, while others lamented the loss of a young Omega, before he actually had the chance to go into his first heat. But it wasn’t their place to argue with the Royal Family of the Fire Nation.

“But he wasn’t alone in this, my own brother, Prince Iroh, helped him avoid his duty, and as punishment, he is vanished from the Fire Nation until he manage to capture the Avatar, and only then will he recover his honor and will be allowed to return. His ship will part shortly after sunset.” He said, a fake sorrow coloring his voice. Of course, he would be only too happy to get rid of the only person who could easily take his throne from him. “But those are not the only bad news” he continued “for the Princess Ursa, my beloved mate, have committed suicide when she heard of what was happening” he said, a saddened whisper going through the crowd.  
“Mother, no!” Whimpered Zuko, right before he was pushed to the center of the Arena by the guards.  
“Sorry, kid. Nothing personal, just following orders” Said one, looking upset. Meanwhile, Azula walked to the center of the Arena, facing him and stretching, before coming closer and adopting the traditional position to start a duel. He tried to copy her, but he knew it didn’t look right, her mocking face confirming it.  
“Are you ready Zuzu? The sunset is almost over, let’s finish this quick and return to our merry lives, why won’t we?” She asked, her manic smile just managing to scare him even more. “Don’t worry, Zuzu, I’ll just burn your pretty little face, so no-one else will want you, and then you’ll be mine and do everything I say” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear, her smile just growing crazier when he couldn’t suppress a whimper.

Ozai just watched his children, fully aware of what was happening between them. He only smirked, amused at his daughter’s way of controlling her future mate, and raised a hand to demand silence. “Now, begin!” He shouted, throwing a fire blast to the sky to indicate the start of the duel.

Azula smirked and threw blast after blast at Zuko’s feet, making him flinch and walk backwards to try and avoid the fire, until he lost balance and fell backwards, hard. Then she walked to him and looked at him from where she stood, cruel eyes laughing at him. 

“Is that all, Zuzu? Well, what a disappointment you are, I thought you will fight harder to keep your honor, but maybe you just don’t want it, hmm?” She taunted him, raising her fist and aiming it at his face. “Say good bye to that pretty face, Zuko” She said and pushed, fire surrounding her fist and moving towards him, fast. There was no way he could avoid them, so close from him, but he still tried to protect his face and raised his arms, and something strange happened. He could feel as if something really heavy was moving towards him, and his first impulse was to push back, and so he did. The flames twisted sideways and still burned part of his neck and his left shoulder, but the rest flew hard and fast towards Azula, who was pushed back and fell, not expecting an attack from a non-bender Omega.

Everyone was shocked, the only sound being Zuko’s cries of pain from the ground, his burns being quite serious. Just then, smoke quickly started to fill the Arena, creating a panic as visibility was lost. Zuko, still on the ground and losing consciousness, could hear his father shouting for the guards to do their job and apprehend whoever was interrupting the duel. He could hear Azula shouting and running towards him, but a big silhouette appeared in front of him. The last thing he saw was that silhouette throw Azula back into the smoke before turning to him and picking him up. He whimpered, scared of the unknown figure and in pain, before everything went black and he couldn’t hear anything anymore.


	2. Chapter 1- Plans are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!  
>  First of all, I'm so sorry about the long wait D: Long story short: I had appendicitis, then had an emergency appendectomy, had to stay at the hospital for a couple of days, and then had to stay at home for a bit longer. That made me miss some mid terms and many classes at college, and so it made my life a living hell right until the end of the semester, which was last Saturday, lol. Also, a few family issues...
> 
> I swear my life is a soap opera...
> 
> But here is the next chapter! :D I hope you like it, thanks for the comments and the kudos :D

He didn’t know what was happening, or where he was. He only knew that his left shoulder and part of his neck hurt, and that he was either really dizzy or in a ship. But that couldn’t be right, wasn’t he supposed to be fighting for his life?

 

With that thought, Zuko groaned and tried to get up, only to be pushed down again. That made him open his eyes, scared. He didn’t know there was someone else so close to him. What if it was Azula?

 

So he opened his eyes, but everything was blurry, and he couldn’t see who was touching him. He was starting to panic, when he heard a familiar voice.

 

“It’s alright nephew, it’s me. You are safe now” Said his uncle Iroh, and he laid back. After a few seconds his vision cleared and he could see his uncle seating on a chair besides where he was lying on a bed. He turned his head a little to see what looked like a small bedroom inside a Fire Nation ship. And his confusion must be obvious to his uncle, because when he turned to look at him again, ready to ask as many questions as he could, his uncle started to talk.

 

“Don’t worry Zuko, you are safe here, I promise” he said. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

 

“I…” was the only thing that got out before he started coughing, his voice rough and scratchy and his throat sore. Just for how long was he unconscious?

 

“There, there, I’m sorry. Here, drink a little” said his uncle, helping him sit and passing him a cup of water, helping him drink a bit before letting him lay down again. “I should have let you drink some before making you talk”.

 

“It’s alright, uncle” said Zuko, voice still a bit rough, but his throat was a bit better. “But I don’t understand, where are we? Why I’m still alive? What happened?” he fired question after question, not waiting for an answer, until his uncle started talking again.

 

“Wait, wait Zuko. Easy, take a deep breath, that’s it. Now, I’ll explain in a minute, but first tell me, what’s the last thing you remember?”

 

“I-I remember that f-father called me to the throne room, a-and said I would be Azula’s m-mate, and that she will have to pu-punish me because I didn’t went to her room during her rut… And, there was an Agni Kai because of that… And he said that you were banished until you found the Avatar, uncle! And, and, mom! What happened to her, is she alright?” Zuko watched his uncle face with hope, surely his mother wouldn’t commit suicide, maybe she was banished too.

 

Iroh sighed and looked at his nephew with sorrow in his eyes. “I’m sorry Zuko, but I was too late, I couldn’t save Ursa” he started, and Zuko felt his eyes tear up. His mother, the person he loved the most and that loved him back, was… dead… “I managed to escape the ship during the duel, while the sailors were distracted, and went to get you and your mother, but Ursa was already dead when I arrived, so the only thing I could do was create a distraction and get you out of there. I managed to smuggle you into the ship and get you in my cabin, where you have being for the last two weeks. I took care of those burns, they are mostly healed by now, but you still need some rest.” He said, turning to carefully hug his nephew while he cried, staying silent for a few minutes.

 

“But uncle, what if the crew finds out? Then you will be in trouble too” said Zuko, worried for his uncle, the only family he had left, since his father and sister only wanted him dead. “How do you know they don’t know I’m here?”

 

“They don’t, Zuko. I made sure to cover every corner, you are safe here” said Iroh. “But I know the dangers of going against Ozai. With all the confusion during the duel, Ozai and Azula didn’t thought to check this ship before it sailed to open sea, but I’m sure they suspect by now, so I have a plan. We are supposed to dock on a colony in the Earth Kingdom in two days, and knowing my brother, he will try to get us killed there.”

 

“And how are we supposed to avoid that, uncle? I’m not even supposed to be here, how will you explain that?” asked Zuko, uncertain.

 

“Easy, since we departed, we have docked exactly four times, and while the crew all got out and had some fun all four times, I only got out of the ship the first time, and that was only because I needed to get you medicine. So while the crew thinks I like to stay and have some time in peace to myself, I’m sure by now Ozai thinks is because I’m taking care of you. He will know by now, because he ordered for reports from the crew, and that will be the perfect place to stage an assassination and make it look as an accident”.

 

“But what will he do? And how do you know he will do something now?”

 

“Because, my dear nephew, that dock is famous for being frequented by pirates and mercenaries, so he will have the perfect excuse. I suspect that was his plan all along, to send me far away, just enough for him to make it look as if he let me go and an unfortunate accident took my life anyways.” Said Iroh, a dark look on his face. “So, knowing my dear brother, I know he would have contracted a pirate crew, or at least some mercenaries, to kill us. And what better than exploding the ship with us inside, so the crew could report that some bizarre accident killed me. So my plan is this: I’ll stay here with you, as I have been doing until now, and when all of the crew exit the ship, we’ll get out quietly from the side opposite from the dock, and we’ll swim for a bit, around the dock, until we reach land, away from all the ships. That way we will escape unnoticed and when the ship explodes, everyone will think we are still inside. Since I’m a well-known General, whoever is tasked with that mission will do everything to avoid getting into open combat with me, so they surely will just put a bomb in the weaponry, and let the gunpowder do its job.”

 

“But how do you know he will order them to make the ship explode?” asked Zuko, he couldn’t understand how his uncle could be so certain that his father would kill them that way, what if he had some other plan? What would they do then?

 

“You forget, Zuko, that despite our differences, I had known Ozai all his life. I have been there when he started his training, and there on all of my father’s, Fire Lord Azulon, meetings. And that is a strategy that my father banned when it was proposed. Can you guess just who proposed that execution plan?”

 

“My father?” Asked Zuko, still not sure.

 

“Exactly, and our father banned it, along with some other ideas he had. Why do you think his hate for me came from? Because my plans and ideas were at least considered, while most of his were turned down. Even at war, some things are wrong. But that’s how I know what he will do. If you weren’t an Omega, you would have grown up to know Azula’s mind as well as I know my brother’s” finished Iroh, and he watched as his nephew flinched when he said he was an Omega. “There is nothing wrong with your second gender, prince Zuko. Sadly, you had the bad luck of having Ozai as your father and Azula as your sister, but there is nothing wrong with being an Omega, your own great grandfather was one, and he was a great warrior and an even better man” said Iroh, seriously.

 

“Fire Lord Sozin was an Alpha, uncle Iroh, everyone knows it” said Zuko confused. What was his uncle talking about, an Omega warrior?

 

“No, prince Zuko, I’m talking about your other great grandfather, I’m talking about Avatar Roku” said Iroh, looking at his nephew in the eyes, seeing his confusion, and realizing that Zuko most likely didn’t know about his heritage.

 

“What do you mean uncle? Avatar Roku was an Omega? And he was my great grandfather? But no one ever said anything about that”.

 

“Well Zuko, why do you think Ozai married your mother, and not some girl from a noble family?” Asked Iroh, resigned to tell his nephew the story of his parents’ marriage, he deserved to know. “Your mother didn’t come from a noble family, not even a rich family. Your mother came from a modest village, but she had valuable blood, as the granddaughter of Avatar Roku, and that’s the reason Ozai convinced Azulon to make her marry your father. As for Avatar Roku being an Omega, well, there is a reason you don’t know about it”. Iroh got up from his chair and walked to a table at the other side of the room. On it, there was an old looking book, and he grabbed it before he returned to the bed, where he sat to show his nephew the book. “Here, that book will show you how things were in the Fire Nation, way before the war. You see, Prince Zuko, Omegas weren’t always treated as bad as they are now in the Fire Nation, that changed with Roku, and then the war. There wasn’t really many differences in the upbringing of children, no matter their gender, besides explaining the changes they would go through during puberty. Therefore, Omegas, like Roku, could train to be warriors if they wanted so. But after seeing Omegas fight and die, after the war started, the birthrate decreased and with that, the numbers of warriors available, the Fire Lord decided that it would be better if Omegas stayed at home. The years passed, and with the change of generations, the Alphas forgot the actual reason of the changes, and somehow Omegas passed from being just people who could carry babes and give birth, to some second hand citizens. It’s not like that in the other nations, Zoku, I’ve seen it. Despite the influence the Fire Nation has in the places it has colonized, the natives still regards all genders as more or less equals, even if there is the beginnings of prejudice in some places”.

 

Zuko looked at his uncle, amazed an a bit incredulous, because to think that Omegas weren’t just something unpleasant, some sub-people the rest of the world had to endure to have children was something so strange, so different from what he had known all his life.

 

“So, you mean that if we escape, I wouldn’t be in danger?”

 

“When we escape, Prince Zuko, you still will be in danger, we both will, don’t forget there is a war going on”. Said Iroh, seriously. He didn’t want to crush his nephew’s hopes, but he had to make sure the boy understood the situation they will be in. “We will pose as refugees from some village in the Earth Kingdom, so we will have to left everything behind and get out of the Fire Nation colony as soon as possible, I’ll only take some money and some necessary stuff we will need with me. Once we reach the Earth Kingdom proper, we will have to buy some clothes to blend in, and I’ll get you some suppressants there, your heat isn’t due a couple of months yet, but that way we can pass you as a Beta until we reach someplace safe, even after your heat.”

 

“But uncle, suppressants? Aren’t they dangerous?” Asked Zuko, scared.

 

“The ones from home are, because they are illegal, but in the rest of the nations they are not. Omegas use them frequently, especially if they have to travel long distances, so they are very safe if you buy them from a certified healer, and that’s what we’ll do. Now, after that we’ll travel on foot for a while, so I can train you in fire bending without any danger, and…”

 

“But I can’t fire bend, uncle, you know that” Interrupted Zuko

 

“Sure you can!” Exclaimed Iroh. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember what you did on the Arena? That’s the reason you are still alive, if that blast had hit you full force on the face, you would have died nephew…”

 

Zuko closed his eyes and tried to remember that part, and surely, after a few moments he recalled when he thought he would die for sure, and the strange feeling he got before he lost consciousness. He opened his eyes again and looked at his uncle, surprised. He had fired bended?

 

Iroh looked at his nephew with a sad smile. He was such a strong young man, if only his brother had given him a fighting chance, he would be a mighty warrior by now. But he would take care of Zuko now, and he will make sure he reached his full potential, because even if Zuko didn’t believe in himself (yet, he will work on that), Iroh believed his nephew was destined to be great in anything he chose to do.

 

“You see? I will train you, Zuko, I believe in you” he said, and hugged his nephew. “Now, as I was saying, once we have everything we would need, we will travel and I will train you, not just to control it, but to fight, as you will need it to make sure you are safe in case something happens to me, or we get separated. Our destination will be Ba Sing Se, and I think that, by the time we get there, you will have all the basics down, so the only thing left will be constant practice and the most complicated things I’ll will teach you with time. For that, we will need to get someplace where we can practice without being discovered, but we’ll manage that once we get there.”

 

“Are you sure uncle, Ba Sing Se?” Zuko asked, worried for his uncle. That was the city where his beloved cousin died, won’t his uncle be sad with the constant reminder?

 

“I know what you are thinking, Zuko, and while I appreciate your concern, it’s not necessary. I admit Lu Ten’ death still hurts, but by now I have accepted it, and I know he would want me to keep you safe, and that city is still the safest place in the world. So we need to get in there. And don’t worry, no one will recognize me, besides the fact that I would be thought long dead by the time we reach our destination, as a General I never got close enough for the Earth Kingdom soldiers to see my face, so we’ll be safe nephew, the only thing we need to worry about is to make sure no one see us fire bend, and we’ll make sure of that, don’t worry. Now, you eat something and then rest some more while I pack everything we will need when we escape. I asked the cook to make me some soup, saying my stomach was upset, so try to eat some and then go back to sleep, I’ll take care of everything here” said Iroh, while helping Zuko to sit up again. So, once upright Zuko grabbed the plate his uncle handed him and ate some. After so much time unconscious, not eating, he was very hungry, but he knew that if he ate too much he would only make himself sick, so he fed himself a few spoonful’s and then put the plate down. He laid down again and closed his eyes, feeling hope for the first time in years, he fell asleep to the sounds of his uncle voice and the noises he made walking around and collecting stuff they will need for their travels.


	3. Chapter 2- The Scape/ The Journey Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, Merry Christmas!!! :D (if a bit late, sorry :P).  
> Thank you for your support, I hope you like this chapter :).

During the two days they had before the scheduled shore time in the colony, Iroh prepared two little bags to carry with them, full with a change of clothes (only one, since they were planning to buy Earth Kingdom clothes as soon as they could), some food he took from the kitchens, the rest of Zuko’s medicine and a bit of money. Meanwhile, Zuko walked a bit around the room to get used to his legs again after so long in bed rest, but he made sure not to exhaust himself and to rest when he needed it, so he would have enough energy to keep up with his uncle when they escaped. Iroh was lying low in the cabin, telling the crew he was coming down with something, so they wouldn’t suspect when he decided to stay, again, during the shore leave.

 

And quick enough, the day came. They docked well into the afternoon, the sun low in the sky, and after making sure the ship was up to regulations, the crew started leaving. The last few ones stopped by to make sure Iroh would be fine on his own, and that he didn’t need anything from the colony, before the too left.

 

“General Iroh, sir. Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own all night? Someone could stay and keep you company, or you could go with us and we could take you to a healer, sir.” Said one of the youngest soldiers.

 

“No, no, don’t worry. I’ll be fine here, you young people need to have fun while you can, without us old people getting in the way.” Said Iroh, chuckling a bit. These young men were good people, they only had the bad luck to get caught up in a meaningless war. “And there’s no need for me to see a healer, I’m sure I’ll be fine come tomorrow morning, I only need a good night sleep and some tea, you’ll see. Now go on, go have fun.” He waved good bye and watched them go, then went back inside and closed his door.

 

“Alright Prince Zuko, that’s the last of the crew. We’ll only have a few minutes until our killers start to work, so we better start moving. We have to put some distance between us and the ship before it explodes, or we could still get seriously hurt and get caught.” Said Iroh moving quickly to get both bags and then helping Zuko get up from the bed.

 

Zuko, while being a lot better after weeks of resting and healing, still was weak from all the time spend in bed, not eating. His uncle made sure to make him drink a lot of water and some soup while he was unconscious, but it still wasn’t enough, and even if he exercised his legs a bit during the two days they had before reaching their destination, his knees still felt a bit weak, so he needed some help getting up from the bed, and his uncle would have to carry both bags (at least during the first days, just until he got a bit stronger) in a bigger bag, made of some type of leather that was mostly waterproof to make sure their stuff wouldn’t get wet. But after he was up he could walk alright, so he quickly followed after his uncle and they left the room, closing the door behind them. They went down many ladders, until they reached the boiler room at the bottom of the ship, were there was an emergency hatch that opened to the outside.

Zuko watched his uncle open the hatch on his on and then turned to look at him. “Alright Zuko, you go first. There’s a ladder right under the hatch that goes down to the water. Go down and wait for me there, but don’t let go, I’m not sure you can swim on your own still. I need to close the hatch again, and then I’ll go down the ladder and get you.” So Zuko did as he was told and went down to the water, not letting go of the ladder as he waited for his uncle to come and get him. They were lucky that the water wasn’t cold and that there weren’t strong waves, as it would only made their escape more difficult. After a short moment, his uncle was beside him.

 

“We have to move, Zuko. We don’t have much time. Let go of the ladder and let’s swim for the shore over there, it’s not a long distance. You go first and I’ll be right behind you, if you feel like you’re getting too tired, tell me and I’ll carry you the rest of the way, alright?”

 

“Alright, uncle.” Said Zuko, and let go of the ladder to start swimming for the shore. As his uncle said, it wasn’t far away from them, but he was still weak. He managed to swim more than half the distance without any problem, but after that he got tired quickly, but was too stubborn to ask for help. His uncle already had to carry both of their bags, it wasn’t fair that he also had to carry him, so Zuko kept on swimming until they reached the shore, and promptly collapsed on the ground, panting.

 

“I told you to ask me for help if you needed it, nephew” scolded his uncle, before he helped him get up.

 

“I’m fine uncle, I could make it” Argued Zuko, standing up besides his uncle. They started to walk away when it happened. They turned to see the destruction it caused. The explosion was big, enough for it to reach two smaller ships that were near. They saw as people ran everywhere trying to salvage the other ships, while others tried to contain the fire from Iroh’s ship. The dock was also damaged by the explosion, but luckily it appeared that no one was near when it happened, so no one was hurt. But they knew it wasn’t a coincidence, someone must have assured no one would be near while it happened, so there would be no witnesses to say someone boarded the ship right before it exploded. They saw the crew come back running, and help to try and put the flames down, but they must know for sure that Iroh “died” in that explosion, no one could have survived something like that.

 

At that moment, they decided to start moving and put some distance between them and the docks, to avoid getting caught bay someone. They walked for some time, until they reached the colony and decided to rest in the outskirts for the night, in a cave they found there. It was clean enough, and it was dry inside, so it would have to do.

 

“For how long will we stay here, uncle?” asked Zuko, sitting down on a rock while his uncle made a bonfire in the middle of the cave.

“We’ll stay here tonight, and tomorrow morning we’ll leave the colony and start our journey. We can’t stay here long, anyone could recognize us in Fire Nation territory, so we have to leave early. I know there’s a Earth Kingdom village not far from here, we can go there and get our knew clothes as well as some other things we will need, then we’ll head to Ba Sing Se” said Iroh, dropping the bag and opening it to take the other two bags. They were just slightly damp, but anything inside was dry when he checked. He took the change of clothes and some food. “Let’s put on some dry clothes to sleep, we can’t get sick now. Throw your cloths in a pile over the fire, Zuko, I’ll burn them later. Then have something to eat and go to sleep, I’ll wake you up in the morning.” Said Iroh, already changing clothes.

 

“You sure you don’t need help, uncle?” Asked Zuko, dry clothes on and eating a bit of bread.

 

“I’ll be fine, Zuko. You go to sleep, we’ll have to walk quite a bit tomorrow”.

 

With that, Zuko closed his eyes and was lost to the world, too tired to stay awake for long. He felt like it was only a few minutes later when his uncle woke him up, but judging by the light coming from the entrance of the cave, it was actually early morning. He ate what his uncle gave him and after arguing a bit, managed to take one of the bags. He was fine already, and could carry his own bag, thank you. After that they started walking, and since they didn’t want to risk someone recognizing them, it was decided that they would circle the colony, walking around rather than go in. It would take longer, but it would be safer.

 

“But if you start feeling tired give me the bag, and I’m serious this time nephew”

 

“Alright uncle, I’m sorry” said Zuko, looking down. He didn’t mean to upset his uncle, he just didn’t want to be a burden.

 

“It’s alright Zuko, I just don’t want you to strain yourself, remember you still have some healing to do” Said Iroh, not wanting to upset Zuko. “Now, since we’ll be posing as refugees, we’ll need Earth Kingdom names to go with our appearances, don’t you think?”

 

“Like what? I don’t know any Earth Kingdom names, uncle”. Said Zuko.

 

“Well, that’s alright, I can think something for us. What do you think about Lee?”

 

“Lee?” Zuko cringed, it wasn’t that it was a bad name, it just… didn’t sound like him at all. His uncle just laughed at his face.

 

“I know, I know, but it’s a fairly common name and won’t make you stand out” Said his uncle once he stopped laughing. “And I’ll be your uncle Mushi” he smiled.

 

“Mushi?!” Zuko was horrified, Lee was one thing, as he understood they couldn’t stand out with weird names, but Mushi?! “Are you sure uncle, it sounds so… weird” he said, making a face.

 

“Hahahaha, yes I suppose it does sounds weird, but that name is also very common in the Earth Kingdom, so it will be alright.” Said Iroh, then he grew serious again. “Now, remember our cover: our village was attacked by fire benders and we ran away, we managed to escape but the rest of the village was killed, so we are refugees going to Ba Sing Se. While we’re travelling, you’re a Beta boy, we’ll make sure no one suspects anything with the suppressants, but once we reach Ba Sing Se you will be alright, and since I’m an Alpha we’ll will be left alone, mostly… but try to stay close, in any case.”

 

“Alright, uncle” said Zuko, walking close to his uncle. He couldn’t believe this was their life now, on the run with his uncle, with nothing but the things they carried, but free from his father and sister. After years of abuse at their hand, he could finally be free and have a live, without worrying if this day would be his last. He knew he wasn’t safe yet, that there probably would be many dangers during their journey, but now he had his uncle with him, and he would teach him to fire bend, so he could protect himself.

 

And what a strange thing that was, after believing all his life that he couldn’t bend, it appeared as if he was only a late bloomer. Well, very late was more accurate… But it was a relieve to know that he wasn’t so useless. He wasn’t as convinced as his uncle was that he would be able to learn all the basics during their journey, after all, there was a reason why kids spend their childhood learning all that, even Azula needed years to master just the basics! But he will work hard and try not to disappoint his uncle… much. He could at least work on making sparks…

 

But that wasn’t that important, he knew he wouldn’t get far in his training before his uncle gave up. What was really important is that he would live free, from now on. They just had to get to Ba Sing Se, and he’ll be free of the Fire Nation and what it represented for him. And after many years, for the first time since before he presented, he started to hope. And as his uncle once said to him “In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength”. And since he would never be physically strong, he could be strong that way, for his uncle… and for himself.

 

 


	4. The Journey, Part 1: Training Start, a Quick Visit to the Village, and... Problems?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I'm soooo sorry for the long wait (college is hell, I swear...). I started with my thesis last semester, and that on top of the rest of my classes left with no time at all... O.o (Also, I promised my best friend I would write her a fic with the Man of Steel, and I still haven't finished, so let's say I'm cheating by writing and posting this first... oops... )
> 
> Buuuuut, here is the next chapter! I'll try to write another before my vacations end (let's see if my friend will let me do it O.O I'll try and finish her story and try to get more time for this :P). 
> 
> Again, I'm sorry for the long wait, I hope you like this chapter :) (I'm sorry if there's any mistake, feel free to point them out so I can fix them :P ). Thanks for the kudos and the comments! :D (I'll respond as soon as I can)

They walked for a whole day before they left the Fire Nation colony completely behind them, but Zuko wouldn’t complaint. Yes, as his uncle said, it took longer to get away by circling the colony, but this way they wouldn’t be recognized by anyone, and that was more important than saving time. After all, they didn’t have a time limit to reach Ba Sing Se. Besides, all that walking helped Zuko to strengthen his legs again, making him feel like he wasn’t that much of a burden anymore.

 

In any case, they didn’t stop at all during the first day of travelling, since his uncle wanted to put some distance between them and the colony. So they walked well into the night before they stopped, ate and laid down, only to wake early in the morning to start walking again. They repeated that routine for the next three days before his uncle felt they were far enough from the colony, but not close enough to the Earth Kingdom village yet, to stop during the day to rest a bit and then start his training. They had been following a dirt path that his uncle said was safe for them, because thieves didn’t use it and soldiers who did, passed quickly and didn’t bother anyone with Fire Nation clothes on them. They walked until reaching a big tree, thus finding the perfect spot to rest.

 

 After eating and resting under its shadow for a while, Zuko saw his uncle stand up and stretch, walking a bit to get right under the sun again before turning to smile at him. “Alright, nephew. I believe we are in a safe enough place to start your training. Come here, I’ll teach you your first lesson in fire bending.” He quickly went to stand by his uncle, excited to be able to learn, even if half convinced he wouldn’t amount to much.

 

“Let’s sit, Zuko.” Said his uncle before doing exactly that, sitting cross-legged on the grass and closing his eyes. Zuko imitated his pose, not knowing what sunbathing had to do with fire bending, but eager to follow his uncle instructions. “Now, nephew, I’ll teach you the correct and purest way of fire bending, one that has long been forgotten with this ridiculous war.” He sighed. “With the war, fire benders have focused their bending in anger and hate, and that’s the only thing the new generations know, but fire bending is not about any of those negative feelings, Zuko, it’s all about controlled passion, about the warmth of the sun giving us the power to protect ourselves and those we love. Fire can be destructive when used wrong, but that is not its true purpose Zuko, never forget that.”

 

“Yes, uncle Iroh” said Zuko, aware his uncle was telling him something very important.

 

“Good, now focus on the sun, feel its heat on your face, how it warms your skin. Can you feel it?” Zuko nodded before remembering that his uncle, like himself, had his eyes closed, so he answered him without opening his eyes. “Good,” he said again “now try to internalize that heat, take a deep breath and take that heat in, can you feel how warm it is inside?”

 

Zuko focused on his uncle voice, making sure to take a deep breath and he felt his lungs warm up, the heat distributing from there to the rest of his body, making him feel pleasantly warm all over. “Yes, uncle” he responded again, loving the warmth, and how safe and in peace it made him feel.

 

“Now, let it out Zuko. Breath out and let that heat out of your body.” He didn’t want to let it out, convinced he would fell cold and alone after he did, but he didn’t want to make his uncle angry with him either. Therefore, Zuko did as he was told, breathing out slowly and feeling how the space surrounding started to warmth up, but surprisingly, that feeling of warmth-safe-peace stayed inside him too.

 

Surprised, Zuko opened his eyes mid-breath to see himself breathing fire. Shocked, he gasped and the fire stopped, the warm feeling still inside him. He turned, wide eyed, to his uncle and saw him smiling at him with the same warmth in his eyes as the one he could still feel inside him.

 

“You see, Zuko? You can achieve anything you want to do; you only have to believe in yourself, as I already do. I know that you will do great things, nephew.” Said his uncle, and Zuko could only hug him, feeling tears run down his face. His uncle always believed in him, even if Zuko himself didn’t, and seeing that he could actually fire bend, not only to throw some sparks or redirect fire, make him feel like maybe he should start believing himself. After all, Uncle Iroh always knew best.

 

He hugged his uncle for a while, feeling him hug him back and pet his head like he used to do when he was younger, until he didn’t have more tears to cry and he let go. Uncle Iroh then dried his tears and smiled at him again when he dropped his eyes, embarrassed. “It’s alright to cry, Zuko.” Said his uncle hugging him one more time. “Now, how did that feel?”

 

“I felt the sun heat, like you said uncle, and how it warmed me up inside. Even now, I can still feel it, the warmth. I felt safe, and in peace… like when you hugged me…” Said Zuko, dropping his eyes again, embarrassed. Surely fire bending wasn’t supposed to be about hugs, he was just being a ridiculous Omega again.

 

His uncle just lifted his head again, making sure Zuko was looking at him. “That’s alright Zuko, that’s how it’s supposed to feel” Said the Alpha, smiling at him, warm eyes locking with his and making him feel safe again. “Fire bending is closely linked to the benders emotions, and most soldiers’ bending is so violent because of that, they only focus on the war, on making the other nations kneel before the Fire Nation, on conquering… for so long, even I felt that way, but by doing that, my inner fire didn’t feel like the warm hug of a loved one, but like an bon fire out of control, burning everything on its way, and that ends up destructing you from inside… I learned that the wrong way, so is a relief to see that, even after all the things you had to endure growing up, your inner fire is still as pure as a children’s is before it’s tarnished by their master. I’ll do everything in my power to keep it that way, Zuko” Promised his uncle. He didn’t know what to say to that, but he felt glad he had his uncle to teach him, so that’s what he told him.

 

“It’s my pleasure being able to teach you, nephew. Now, let’s keep on walking, we still have a long way to go.” So they stood up, collected their packs, and continued down the path. After walking for some time in comfortable silence, Zuko thinking about everything his uncle had told him so far, he decided to voice out all the questions he had.

 

“Uncle, what was that? That thing we just did”

 

“That’s called meditating, Zuko. It helps you calm your mind and it’s a way of controlling your inner fire.”

 

“Oh, I thought that was done with candles…”

 

“It is, but that’s a more advanced form of meditation, for when you reach higher levels of control over your mind and fire. Right now, an outside source of fire will only distract you and make you lose control, but I believe you could begin using a candle or two during meditation really soon, nephew!” Exclaimed Uncle Iroh, looking at him proudly and making him blush.

 

“But you said I had to control my inner fire, uncle!”

 

“Yes, but you have a natural control over it! You’re really talented, Zuko!” He responded, making him blush even more, to his uncle amusement. “Hahaha, it’s true dear nephew! We only have to work a bit on your concentration, but you have a natural control over your fire. Next time we’ll see if you can maintain a flame on your hand for a period of time, and after you achieve it, we’ll start with the basic katas and we’ll work with some candles, we’ll have to buy a few on the village.” Said his uncle optimistically, and continued planning his training while they walked, responding the many questions Zuko had.

 

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They continued walking for two more days, training when they stopped. It turned out that Zuko could maintain a flame up to five seconds, much to his disappointment, but his uncle assured him it was actually an amazing feature, as he wasn’t supposed to even create a flame yet. They also started with the basic katas, but these were more difficult for Zuko, as he obviously had no previous training, and they were too many to remember right now. Nonetheless, he decided he would practice at every chance he had so he could memorize them all and make his uncle proud.

 

After those two days, they reached the Village, and uncle Iroh told him they would put they training on hold until it was safe enough to practice again. For now, they would only gather as many supplies as they could carry, and would start their lives as Lee and Uncle Mushi.

 

“Remember nephew, we need to collect our supplies quickly and get out of the village as soon as we can, so we can’t stand out in there, we have to blend in.” Said Uncle Iroh as they approaching the firsts houses on the outskirts of the village. It seemed the owners were used to leave their houses empty to go to work or complete their daily activities, since there was no one around to watch them get close enough to one of the houses and steal some clothes that were hanging there, already dry. They changed their red and grey outfit for a brown and green one, putting their old clothes in their bags to dispose of later. Then, they entered the village, walking straight to the bazaar (how his uncle knew where it was located, Zuko didn’t know…).

 

Being an Omega and a prince (even if most of the time it didn’t felt like he was one), Zuko was never allowed to go out of the palace grounds before, so he was amazed and surprised by the quantity of people roaming around the bazaar, buying and selling all kind of goods. He stood there, a bit dazed while admiring everything, until his uncle started walking and he made sure to follow him, he didn’t want to get lost after all. They walked to a relatively big stand, and Zuko assumed it belonged to some kind of healer because of all the herbs, brews and potions displayed, maybe types of medicine he didn’t know about. His uncle greeted the man working there, and right away asked about the most important thing he needed at the moment: suppressants.

 

“Good afternoon, good man. I was hoping you could help us with something.” Greeted his uncle.

 

“Good afternoon to you too, sir. And I would be glad to help you in any way I can, sir, what do you need?”

 

“Well, you see. I’m in need of some suppressants for my young nephew over here.”

 

“Indeed?” Asked the man, looking at Zuko now. Then he looked at his uncle and lifted an eyebrow. “He’s quite young to be needing them at this time, wouldn’t you think so?” He said, suspiciously. Zuko didn’t like the look he was sending his uncle.

 

“Quite right, I would say” Sighed his uncle. “I wouldn’t want to give them to him, given a normal situation, but I find we have no choice. We need to go to Ba Sing Se, and I don’t think the journey will be safe enough to risk going around without the protection suppressants would confer to him.”

 

“To Ba Sing Se? That’s a long journey indeed!” Exclaimed the healer, looking at us with pity. Zuko looked away, he didn’t want anyone’s pity. He knew what the healer was thinking now, he must believe they were refugees fleeing from the Fire Nation. That was something quite common in all parts of the Kingdom, which worked for them since it was supposed to be their lives’ story, but the pitying look just made Zuko feel sick. “Yes, I have good suppressants for your young nephew, sir. Enough to last until you reach your destination and then some, in case you don’t find a friendly village to obtain them. I’m sorry you’re in need of them…” He finished, but Zuko knew what he actually meant… ‘I’m sorry you lost your home, I’m sorry you are in danger, I’m sorry you have to hide’. Even if the man didn’t know the whole truth, it made him feel better to find that someone other than his uncle cared. It didn’t feel like pity now, more like sympathy. He could accept sympathy.

 

“Thank you…” He said, looking at the man from behind his uncle. He nodded at Zuko, before focusing on his uncle again.

 

“Thank you for your offer, kind sir.” Said his uncle. “But I’m afraid we don’t have much money, and we have to acquire more utilities for our journey, so I’m not sure if we can buy that many suppressants, even if they will surely come in handily.”

 

“Do not worry about the price, my friend, I have a policy of giving suppressants for free to those who are in need of them. After all, we have to help those in need in this damned war.” Said the man, surprising them both. His uncle was about to protest, not wanting to take advantage of the kind healer, but the man interrupted him before he could talk. “I insist, sir. I have an Omega daughter, so I understand your situation. I plan on leaving with her soon, to protect her. We may even see each other in the future.” He smiled kindly. “Now, if you want to acquire other types of herbs and medicine, I’ll be obliged to charge you, as I don’t have any policies on those” He continued, cheekily, to which his uncle just laughed, thanked him again, and then proceeded to buy other medicines they might need, before continuing along the bazaar and buying all kind of things.

 

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At the end, they spent the night in the village, but in the morning they packed everything they bought and secured them to the two ostrich horses they purchased the day before (they ended up spending almost all of their money, but his uncle assured him that it would last them until they reached the next village, and they could always work to gain more money if needed, so Zuko wasn’t worried). Then, they mounted them and went off again. They were a great investment, because now they could travel longer distances in less time, giving them more time to practice Fire Control and Fire Bending. According to Uncle Iroh, they wouldn’t reach another village or city for a couple of weeks, so that would give them time to train as much as they could. Also, it would give time for the suppressants to hide his scent of Omega, so he could be just Lee, Beta refugee traveling with his Uncle Mushi, Alpha and tea expert, to Ba Sing Se. He had been repeating that in his head in order to make the lie feel more natural, so when he had to say it out loud, it would feel as the true even for him.

 

Now, they were meditating again. It was one of his favorite methods of training, since if made him feel so peaceful, something he hadn’t been able to enjoy before, but that he soon found out was the best feeling in the world. He was getting better with the katas too, but he knew he still had to practice a lot. They meditated for two hours, as usual, before getting ready to leave again (they always ate before meditating, so they could leave as soon as the training session ended), and that’s when his uncle looked far ahead and frowned. Zuko looked that way, trying to see what was wrong, only to see the same path they have been following, stretching far ahead from them, then up a hill and disappearing from view. There was a bit of smoke in the sky, but not too much as to justify his uncle’s seriousness.

 

“What’s wrong, Uncle Iroh?”

 

“Problems are coming, Zuko. Let’s try and see if we can avoid them.” He said, and prompted his ostrich horse to move, Zuko following after him.

 

“What do you mean, uncle? What kind of problems?” He asked, worried.

 

“I fear you’ll see soon enough…”

 

They continued until they reached the hill, it wasn’t very high, just high enough to hide the rest of the path. They quickly climbed it and stopped at the top to see what was wrong. They saw fire in the distance, blast of red going up and down, trees and bushes on fire, all around what appeared to be a small farm, a farming village not far from it. There were some Fire Nation soldiers, restraining everyone there (three and all males, it appeared) and pushing them into a small cart. Then, the soldiers burned the rest of the house to the ground and started marching towards them, in direction to the Fire Nation obviously.

 

“Come Zuko, we’ll have to go off the path to avoid them, we can’t let them see us or they will attack” Said his uncle, urging him to go off the path and into the high grass, coming right after him.

 

“What was that uncle? And how did you know something was happening?” Asked Zuko, worried.

 

“It looks like a raid, nephew. Fire Nation soldiers go to villages and take or kill all the bender. They must have been Earth Benders that were found out, and the soldiers attacked. I could sense that someone was fire bending in the distance, this people are farmers and wouldn’t dare lit a fire big enough to create all that smoke and risk damage their crops, so that was the only explanation. Now come, Zuko, we have to move fast if we want to avoid them.”

 

“But, can’t we help them? What will happen to them?”

 

“I’m afraid not, Zuko. You can’t defend yourself yet, I still have to teach you to fight using weapons, and Fire Bending is not an option, you know that.” Said Uncle Iroh with a sad look. “They will be taken to a prison, or to work with coal, it depends on the soldiers… It’s disgusting what this war is doing to all the Nations, but without the Avatar here, there’s not much we can do. There’s a resistance fighting, but their numbers are dwindling every day…”

 

“Do you think the Avatar will return, uncle?”

 

“I don’t know, Zuko. Some say the cycle is broken and the Avatar is gone forever, others say the Avatar will return and end the war, but no one is sure. No one knows what happened to the last Avatar, he just disappeared one day when the war was starting… Personally, I believe he will return one day, we just have to endure until it happens. Now come Zuko, we have to reach the village. We’ll be safe there, at least for a while.” He said, and Zuko hoped his uncle was right and the Avatar comes back from wherever he was. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to return to the Fire Nation, even if the war ends somehow and Azula and Ozai forget about them, but he didn’t want the other Nations to keep on suffering because of his homeland.

 

They continued riding, approaching the village quickly and hidden in the grass. His uncle got out first, to check it was safe, before calling for him. They entered the village at dusk and it looked deserted, everyone hiding in their houses. Then some men, and a couple of women (all Alphas, Zuko could tell) came out to confront them.

 

“We don’t want foreigners bringing trouble to our village, turn around now.” Said the biggest man, the leader it appeared.

 

“We don’t want trouble, good man. We’re just travelers in need of a place to rest.” Said Uncle Iroh, subtly stepping in front of him.

 

“Well, there’s no place for you in here, so we suggest you to leave before you get hurt.” Said a young man, stepping forward and looking threatening. Zuko stepped back and saw a girl looking at him from a window at his right. She looked his age, a Beta, and smiled at him when she noticed him looking, making him blush and drop his gaze to the ground.

 

“Stop that, Chun, you’re scaring the Omega.” Said a woman, also a Beta, from behind the girl.

 

“What Omega? All I see is an old Alpha and a small Beta” said Chun, sniffing the air. But the rest of the group started sniffing too and started to look ashamed. “What?!” he exclaimed, looking around.

 

“That boy is not a small Beta, you fool, is an Omega. And all of you are scaring the poor thing, I couldn’t imagine what he must feel, traveling across dangerous places and arriving to a village full of dumb, posturing Alphas, you should be ashamed, really…” Said the woman, the Alphas looking rightfully chastised.

 

“Alright, alright Hui, we get it.” Said the leader. “Not all of us have a nose like yours, you know? Besides, after what happened today, we have the right to be suspicious. And you!” He said, pointing to Uncle Iroh. “What do you think you are doing, traveling with an Omega that young, eh?! You have to wait until the suppressants can hide his scent completely before going out, everyone knows that! The only reason we didn’t smell it earlier is because we were focusing on your Alpha scent!”

 

“He’s my nephew, Lee, and I’m Mushi. We’re the only survivors from our village…” Said his uncle, with a sad tone. “We had to run quick and didn’t have time for the suppressants to take full effect, but I was hoping that they could hide his scent enough. He has been taking them for weeks now, so it won’t be long until his scent is completely hidden, and I didn’t want to go into a village until that time, but with the soldiers in the zone, I didn’t want to be out in the open. Would it be much trouble for you if we stay for a while? Just until the suppressants are in full effect and its safe for him to travel, we want to go to Ba Sing Se and start a new life there. We can work while we stay here.” Finished his uncle, looking at the group of Alphas. All looked saddened with the story, and a bit guilty for what happened earlier. They voiced their agreement to them staying for a while, some even sending him apologetic smiles.

 

“Of course you can stay, brother.” Said the leader. “We apologize for our rude manners, and I’ll find you some place to stay…”

“Oh, they can stay with us” Said Hui, now from the door of her house. “They can help us with our work too, so don’t worry, Hong.”

 

“Alright” Said the leader, Hong. “Then we’ll leave you to rest, Hui will tell you about your chores in the morning, good night.” He said before going away, the rest of the Alphas going with him, except Chun who stayed a bit longer.

 

“Hey, uh, Lee?” Said Chun, approaching Zuko. “I’m really sorry about earlier, you didn’t deserve that.”

 

“Uh, it’s alright I guess, you were just trying to protect your village.” Said Zuko, blushing a bit.

 

“Wow, I don’t know how we mistook you for a Beta, you’re really beautiful.” This made him blush even harder, not accustomed to being complimented. Chun just chuckled. “Well, good night Lee. If you need anything, just let me know and I’ll help you out. I apologize again from earlier, I hope we can be friends?”

 

“Uh, yeah, alright.” Said Zuko, and Chun smiled at him and left.

 

“It looks like you have an admirer.” Said Hui, with a playful smile. He blushed (again…) and his uncle and the girl started laughing. “Now, Mushi come in and I’ll show you your room. Song, you and Lee take those ostrich horses to the barn so they can rest too, then show Lee his room. Mushi and me will prepare dinner in the meantime.” And they disappeared inside the house, while the girl (Song) went out and grabbed his uncle ostrich horse.

 

“Follow me.” She said, and they walked to the barn, which was near. They let the ostrich horses in, taking care of them before walking out. She sat down and looked up at the sky, admiring the stars, so he decided to sit with her. “I know what you’ve been through. We’ve all been through it. The Fire Nation has hurt you…” She said, pointing to his neck, where some of the scar could be seen. He tried to cover it with his hand, but she grabbed it before he could. “It’s okay. They’ve hurt me too.” Then she showed him her scarred legs, where burn marks not unlike his own could be seen. That made him feel incredibly sad, seeing firsthand what this war was doing to innocent people. He wanted to do something, anything to help stop it, but he knew there was nothing he could do at this moment. He didn’t know how to fight, and he couldn’t Fire Bend in front of anyone, or they wouldn’t trust him anymore. They would hate him!

 

“Don’t worry, once your uncle takes you to Ba Sing Se, everything will be alright. You’ll be safe inside its walls, I promise.” Said Song, seeing his sad face. “Now come on, Lee, dinner should be ready now. Let’s eat and then I’ll show you your room. You need to rest so you can help me tomorrow” She smiled at him and guided him back to the house. They had a nice dinner with the small family, before retiring to their respective rooms.

 

And later, as he laid wide awake on his bed, the only thing he could think of was the war, the resistance, and the fact that he couldn’t fight. He believed in what his uncle said earlier, the Avatar would come back some day and finish the war, but they needed to endure until then. Not only that, they needed to fight back, and help each other. So he swore right then that he would learn how to fight, both with and without weapons, so that in the future he could defend the people getting hurt by the Fire Nation, by his fellow countrymen. He didn’t want to depend on his uncle forever, or to just be able to defend himself if he ever needed it, he wanted to help others. With that in mind, he decided to tell his uncle in the morning. He wouldn’t be able to continue his Fire Bending lessons until much later, but maybe he could start another kind of training while they were in the village. Decision taken, Zuko snuggled his pillow and promptly fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song actually says that phrase in the show, I just borrowed it :P
> 
> Also, here are the meanings of the names I used for the characters (I don't remember if they mentioned the name of Song's mom in the show, so I named her...)  
> Chun=Born in the spring  
> Hui= Clever  
> Hong= Large


	5. The Journey, Part 2: training, a little crush, back on the road, and… more problems?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo..... Hi! 
> 
> Yes, I'm still alive. I'm sorry this took so long, but... Life is a bitch... (Pardon my French). I started my Internship, still working on my thesis (I'm starting to think I'll never finish that, Oh Lord!), started a part time job, and had some family issues... So yeah! A bitch, lol...
> 
> But here is the next chapter (I swear I'm going to finish this, don't worry). Again, I'm so sorry for the wait, thank you for reading and for the kudos and comments, you are the best!
> 
> I'll try to update soon (-ish), key word being "try". But anyways, enjoy!! 
> 
> PS.: I don't have a Beta, so all mistakes are mine!

Their first day in the village started early, the Pigster waking them up at sunrise. Song and Hui made a traditional Earth Kingdom breakfast, while Zuko and Iroh watched and learned, offering to wash the dishes when they finished. They told the Betas that they didn’t know how to cook, which was true, being from the Royal family, they never had to worry about cooking anything, and Iroh only knew survival stuff from his time in the military, but not how to manage in an actual kitchen. They thought it was a bit strange, as most learned basic house skills from a young age (no matter the gender), but assumed that they came from an affluent family and therefore didn’t know these things, but they would make sure to teach them all they could.

 

While they enjoyed the delicious breakfast, they talked about all the work that had to be done daily in a farm oriented village. Everyone had a job to do, as Hui explained. “Well, let’s start with the Alphas. They plow the land, take care of the crops and the harvest; they will also take care of constructing new houses of fixing old ones, and anything that had to do with strength related work.” Said the older Beta. “But since you’re too old for that Mushi, you’ll just help with our job,” at this point, Zuko and Iroh almost snorted. As a former General of the Fire Nation, even if he wasn’t in top shape because of his lack of training, he was still capable of fighting as an elite soldier, and a bit of hard work wouldn´t be any problem for him. But the kind woman didn’t know that, and was trying to protect an old man from hurting himself. “Betas take care of all farm animals, collect herbs and plants for healing, preserve the food for winter, and all the extra odd jobs needed to sustain our way of living.”

 

“Wow, that’s a lot of work for the Betas…” Said Lee, surprised at the amount of work Betas had to do every day. “What about Omegas?” He asked, curious, as she didn’t mention his gender.

 

“Actually…” Said Song “We don’t have Omegas in the village, they used to do the same kind of jobs as the Betas, but we only had three, and they left with their families when the soldiers started to come near. Since most of the village population are Betas, it’s not a problem to do all that. But everyone decided that it would be safer if they went to a major city for protection.”

 

“We are not warriors, you see…” Continued Hui. “All our warriors left to fight in the war, and the younger benders were captured… Some of the younger Alphas know how to fight, because their fathers thought them the basics before going to war or being captured, but that’s it. If the Fire Nation came and found young Omegas in the village, we wouldn’t be able to protect them, so we sent them to safety with their families.”

 

“But, how are they? Do you know if they are safe now?” asked Zuko, worried.

 

“Oh yes, don’t worry Lee!” Said Song with a smile. “We get letters every month, and the last one came just last week. They arrived safely to Ba Sing Se and are living together in a small house, their babies are healthy and their mates found jobs, so it’s alright!” Zuko was glad. It wasn’t fair that they had to leave their homes and go to a different city to start new lives, just to make sure they were safe from a meaningless war, but at least they had their families.

 

“Now, the kids are usually the ones who take care of the animals, so Lee will help Song with the pigs, alright?” Asked Hui, and Zuko nodded. “And Mushi will help me gather herbs, you said you were a tea expert, right?”

 

“Oh, yes!” Said a beaming Iroh. “I have some knowledge on healing herbs, I use them for healing teas, so I might be of help”

 

“That’s what I was thinking. I could teach you about some herbs not used on tea, too. It could help you in case you need a healer during your travel” Offered Hui. She was getting fond of the little Omega and his older uncle, and wanted to help them in any way she could.

 

“It would be an honor, thank you for your help” Said Iroh, bowing. “Then, let us wash the dishes so we can start our work”.

 

Zuko and his uncle quickly washed and dried everything, and then followed the Betas to do their assigned job. Iroh and Hui went to meadow close to the village to gather all the herbs they needed before returning to the house, where they quickly prepared all the herbs Iroh already knew, and Hui explained the uses of the ones he didn’t. Song and Zuko, on the other hand, went to help the rest of the Beta children with the pigs. Song introduced Zuko to the other children, who were polite enough to greet him but not ask too many questions, sensing he was a bit shy, and then they delegated the work. Some went to the Moo-sows pen to tend to the animals and collect their milk, some went to tend to the Pickens and collect their eggs, another group went to tend to the Pig deer, and Zuko went with Song and two other kids to the Wooly Pigs pen. It wasn’t time to collect their wool yet, so they just cleaned the pen, gave them food and made sure the animals were healthy, only taking a break to eat lunch before going back to work. After that, they were free to wander around until dinner time, so Song took him around the village to show him everything and then to the fields, where the Alphas were finishing their work.

 

“Come Lee, the Alphas are about to finish!” Said Song, exited. “You have to see this!”

 

“Alright, but what’s so exiting about that?” Asked Zuko, confused. What was so exciting about a bunch of sweaty Alphas coming back from the fields?

“Because the younger ones are going to start practicing their fighting moves!” Zuko hoped she was referring to katas, not ‘fighting moves’. He could ask them to teach him if that was the case. Soon enough, the older Alphas left and the younger ones started practicing katas. Zuko could recognize some, but others were all new to him. And a couple had weapons and were practicing with them, like Chun, who was waving around two short swords. Those looked like dual swords, and Zuko always wanted to learn how to fight with them. He decided to get closer, Song following him curiously, and walked until Chun saw him.

 

“Hey, Sung, Lee!” Said Chun, putting the swords down and coming closer to them, the other Alphas only looked at them, but continued with their training. “What are you doing here? How was your first day?” He asked him, smiling at him and making him blush and look down.

 

“Um, hi Chun…” said Zuko, blushing even more. He didn’t understand why he kept blushing all the time, he wasn’t like that…

 

“Hey Chun! We finished early today and I thought Lee might want to see today’s training” Said Song, smiling at Lee’s blush. He was adorable. “So, what are you doing today?”

 

“That so?” Asked Chun, watching the pretty blush on Lee’s beautiful face. “Well, the guys are practicing their katas today, but I’m gonna train with my swords. I want to be able to fight and defend the village in case something happens, and I already know how to fight without weapons”

 

“Really?” Asked Zuko, finally looking up. “Could you teach me?”

 

Chun looked at the beautiful Omega, not sure if he should teach him how to fight. He didn’t want to hurt Lee, after all. “Well, yeah… But why would you want to fight?” He asked, confused.

 

“My uncle has been training me since we left home, and I already know some katas, but I want to learn more. And I want to learn how to fight with swords like yours! I just… I don’t want to be a burden… And I want to be able to protect myself and my uncle… Please…” Zuko watched Chun, hoping the Alpha would agree to help him. He couldn’t depend on his uncle for everything, and even if his training was the best, they couldn’t continue while staying in the village, people could get suspicious.

 

Chun was conflicted. On one side, he wanted to help Lee, his uncle was way too old to teach him how to defend himself, and even as an Alpha, Mushi wouldn’t be able to do much if they were attacked when they left the village. But, on the other side, he just didn’t want to hurt the Omega in any way, and if he was going to train him, he would have to treat him like another Alpha and fight seriously. In the end, he decided Lee’s safety came first, so he would train him like he would any other Alpha that asked for his help. After all, when his father left to fight, he told Chun that it was his duty, as a warrior, to help and protect everyone in need, and Lee surely needed him right now. So he would teach him everything his father taught him before he left. “Alright, Lee. I’ll teach you” He told the Omega. “But I won’t go easy on you” He warned.

 

“Thank you!” Answered Zuko, bowing to the Alpha. “And I don’t want you to go easy on me” he said, cheekily, making the Alpha blush a little.

 

With that, the days passed in routine. Every day, Iroh and Zuko would work, and at the end of the day Zuko would go to train on the fields, Song watching everything from a distance. After the first week, Iroh went with the kids to watch his nephew, and decided he could help train the young Alphas while they stayed in the village. So, Chen concentrated on teaching Zuko how to fight with dual swords, while Iroh watched them and gave his nephew subtle advices, and trained the other Alphas. They spent two months in the peaceful village, training and working, until Zuko’s Omega scent was replaced for a Beta’s by his suppressants, and they had enough money to continue their travel. It was a bittersweet goodbye, their friends were glad they would go to a safe city, but it was sad to see the pair leave after getting to know them. Hui gave them some herbs and medicine, Song gave them amulets she made for good luck, and the rest of the village gave them food and clothes. But Chun’s goodbye gift was more special.

 

“I can’t take them, Chun. They belonged to your father!” Protested Zuko, trying to give back the dual swords to his rightful owner, who wouldn’t accept them.

 

“And now I’m giving them to you, Lee.” Argued Chun, with a smile. After three months, and getting to know the Omega, training with him, teaching him and watching him absorb knowledge and fight like a true warrior, his little crush grew to be something more. He knew he loved Lee, and if there wasn’t a never-ending war, he would have asked him to stay and court him, or he would have gone with them to Ba Sing Se, but he couldn’t leave his small village unprotected. So, the best he could do was give him the swords, hoping that they would protect him (and maybe, someday, guide the Omega back here). “You’re a skilled warrior, more than me, and you deserve them. Please, accept them” He asked, and watched as Lee finally nodded and took the swords. “You are a wonderful person, Lee. Anyone would be lucky to be your mate” He said, kissing the Omega’s cheek and watching that beautiful blush that he loved so much. “I hope you arrive safely to your destination”.

 

Zuko blushed, feeling tears gather in his eyes. He made good friends in this village and would miss them dearly, but this Alpha he would always remember, he now understood why he always blushed when he joked with him, and the warm feeling he got when they would share quiet moments between training sessions. It was his first love, and he hated that he had to leave, but he knew Chun wouldn’t love him if he knew the truth about him, and he couldn’t live lying to his loved ones, so he had to leave now. Maybe someday he would be able to tell his secrets, but now wasn’t the time. He hugged Chun and kissed his cheek before letting go. “Thank you, Chun, I will always remember everything you did for me”. Then, he turned around and walked where his uncle was waiting for him with their Ostrich Horses, a sad and knowing look on his eyes. He mounted and left, planning on travelling for longer before they had to stop.

 

“I’m sorry Zuko, I know it’s hard to leave a loved one behind.” Said his uncle.

 

“I know uncle, I just… it bothers me more the I couldn’t tell him the truth.” He said, his uncle staying quiet. They covered a long distance before night came and they had to stop and rest, but Ba Sing Se was still very far yet.

 

They returned to the routine they had before, continuing with his Fire Bending training, as well as his training in hand to hand combat, and practicing with the swords. Using them gave him a bittersweet kind of feeling at first, but after a while he started feeling like he felt the first time he meditated: warm and protected. He decided he should focus on those feelings, because that’s what Chun intended when he gave him the swords. And so, the time passed, and his training progressed. After a couple of months travelling, Zuko was able to Fire Bend like an average pre-teen. He still wasn’t pleased by that, knowing he still had a lot to learn and could never compare to Azula, but his uncle was very proud of him, and that made him feel better.

 

“You should be proud too, nephew! Not even a year into your training and you have progressed so much! Remember that others had needed years to reach this level, even Azula needed years of training to get where she is!” Was what Iroh said every time Zuko demeaned his own work and progress. “Besides, you shouldn’t compare to others. There’s only one Zuko, and you’re perfect as you are. And there’s only one Azula -thanks the spirits-, and only one Iroh. Everyone is different and they shouldn’t be measured the same. Now, let’s meditate. I think you’re ready to use up to five candles!”

 

So, his Fire Bending was good, even if he wasn’t on Azula’s level (“Yet, nephew, you’ll get there”), and his katas were almost perfect. He still wobbled a bit with the most difficult ones, but he was getting there. And his technique with the dual swords was great, at least according to his uncle. He said he was a natural, and Zuko wasn’t convinced, but he enjoyed fighting with them. He didn’t know if he would be able to win in a real fight, but could keep up with his uncle during training (even if his uncle wasn’t fighting seriously, he knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything if he did). And his training continued until they neared some woods, at that point his uncle said it wasn’t safe to Fire Bend.

 

“I’m sure there are some Fire Nation soldiers patrolling, and maybe some thieves too, so let’s tray and avoid problems.” He said, watching the trees suspiciously. “I would like to avoid the woods altogether, but we need to cross them to arrive to the next village. Your birthday is coming soon, and with that, your heat. The suppressants will stop you from entering a full heat, but still, you’ll stop smelling like a Beta for a couple of days, and it would be safer if we spend those nights in a village.” Finished his uncle before going into the woods, Zuko following closely. They didn’t encounter any problems that day, but their Ostrich Horses were nervous and kept stopping every 15 minutes, so they didn’t cover much distance, and his uncle decided to rest early and give the animals more time to rest.

 

“Go to sleep, nephew. I’ll take watch.”

 

“But uncle! Then you won’t rest. I can take first watch, or you can wake me up at midnight!” Protested Zuko, he didn’t want to rob his uncle of a good night sleep.

 

“Don’t worry and go to sleep, I’m used to sleepless nights, and you’ll need your energy tomorrow. I have a feeling we’ll get to see what’s been bothering the Ostrich Horses all day.” So Zuko, reluctantly, went to sleep, and was glad to wake up and see nothing happened during the night. They ate a light breakfast and continued their travels, wanting to get out of the woods quickly.

 

After a while, they could hear some rustling from the trees. Iroh was sure they were being watched, and Zuko felt restless, even if he wasn’t sure why yet. A couple of minutes went by and nothing happened, but they still didn’t relax. They heard some birds singing, but they sounded off someway, and after watching his uncle’s face he wasn’t so sure those were birds anymore. Then, when the tension was so high that the animals weren’t moving anymore, something jumped from the trees. Various somethings, actually. They threw ropes and managed to trap the animals, making them fall along with their Ostrich Horses. Iroh landed on his feet, immediately going to Zuko’s side to protect him, while the Omega got up from the floor and turned around to see what, or who, was attacking him. What he saw made him pause for a bit, but a nudge from his uncle made him get in position again. He shouldn’t underestimate his opponent, even if it was what appeared to be a child, dressed in armor that was obviously to big for him, but still… a child nonetheless. He looked around, seeing they were surrounded by kids and teens carrying knives, swords, or just long pieces of wood. Everyone stayed still, until another teenager dropped from the trees, looking like it was the leader. He also had some kind of armor, and had two hook swords. He looked like an Alpha, but he couldn’t smell him, so he wasn’t sure.

 

“Well, well, well… What do we have here?” Asked the leader, smirking. “An old fart and a pretty boy, what are you doing in my woods?” He was pointing his swords a them while he spoke, making Zuko more restless.

 

“We are just two refugees going to Ba Sing Se” said his uncle. “We don’t want to cause problems, so please, let us go and we’ll be out of your woods by the end of the day, mister…”

 

“I’m Jet, leader of the Freedom Fighters!” smirked the now named Jet, still looking at Zuko and making him very uncomfortable. “But you could be Fire Nation pigs, lying to save your asses and live another day, ruin some lives along the way, hmmm?” Continued Jet, getting closer to Zuko. “So tell me, pretty boy, why should I believe you?” He asked Zuko, barely an inch from his face, and making him tense up. Jet wasn’t much older than him, probably the same age, but now that he was closer he could smell that he was an Alpha, an aggressive one at that. It made him feel like Azula did, scared and defenseless, and he couldn’t move. His uncle tried to move and put him behind his back, but Jet lifted a sword to his uncle neck and he had to stop. “I asked a question, pretty boy. Answer it.” He ordered, right in his face.

 

“W-w-we a-are just g-going to B-Ba Sing S-Se” stuttered Zuko, trying to make himself smaller and hating himself for not being able to speak right.

 

“Hmmm” Sid Jet, not looking away. “The Duke and Pipsqueak, go through their things, see what they have.  Smellerbee, Longshot what do you think?” He said, and Zuko watched as the little kid from before and a giant went through their things without any care, while two other teens got closer. The taller one making some gestures he couldn’t understand, the smaller one sniffing around and humming as if they understood the gestures. The smaller one then got even closer to talk to Jet.

 

“The old fart is an Alpha, as you probably know by now, and is related to the pretty face, who is an Omega, probably taking suppressants. And you are terrifying him, by the way. Keep that up and he’s going to piss himself”. Which was a lie, Zuko wasn’t going to piss himself. “He smells like he was badly burned too, almost a year ago, maybe 7-8 months ago”. He/she (they?) continued, and how did they do that?

 

“Nothing suspicious here, sir! Just lots of herbs!” Said the little kid after making a mess of their belongings. “Probably his suppressants” said the teen with the good nose.

 

“Hmmm” said Jet, lifting his free hand to Zuko, who was shaking a little by that point. He exposed his neck and left shoulder, showing the burn, and Zuko started trembling. It was healed by now, so it didn’t hurt that much, but it was a reminder of his past life and what almost happened to him, so it triggered a panic reaction. Jet noticed Zuko’s trembling, the tears gathering in his eyes and his panting and released them, letting Iroh take the smaller teen in his arms. “So you’re ok. Sorry about that, you never know if the next traveler will be Fire Nation” said the teen, smiling. The short teen from earlier smacked him on the back of his head, the tall teen glaring at him and gesturing something. “Ouch, Smellerbee! Was that necessary? And I already apologized, Longshot…” Grumbled the teen, ignoring Iroh’s glare.

“You call that an apology? Don’t be an ass, Jet! That Omega is in hysterics because of you…” Said Smellerbee, Longshot nodding along while the rest of the kids just watched, not knowing what to do.

 

“Alright, alright! Fighters, go back to your positions! We’re expecting soldiers and we need to prepare the ambush!” He growled, and all the kids and teenagers disappeared suddenly as they came, Longshot and Smellerbee glaring at him before going too. When Jet was sure he was alone with them, he turned to look at them. The old fart was still glaring at him, and the Omega was still hiding, but at least he stopped trembling. “Look, I really am sorry about that, I didn’t mean to scare him half to death, I just had to make sure you weren’t Fire Nation scum, see? I have to protect my people” grumbled the younger Alpha. “You can go now, we won’t bother you anymore.”

 

“I understand the need to protect, as I want to protect my nephew from Alpha bullies like you” said Iroh, watching as Jet winced, but tried to cover it up putting some stick in his mouth. “But maybe you should stop to think before acting, and don’t rush into things without being sure you know all there is to know. That’s my advice, you have the right to heed it, or ignore it.” With that, he turned his back to the young Alpha, who then disappeared like the rest of the kids, and helped Zuko calm down. It made him so angry that, after months of progress, that reckless Alpha came and undid it all, and now they were back to step one. After Zuko calmed down, they fixed their packs and helped the Ostrich Horses back on their feet (at least they weren’t hurt). After letting them rest for a little while, they got on and continued their travel, wanting to get out of those woods as soon as possible.

 

From the top of the trees, Jet watched the old Alpha and his nephew go, thinking about what the older one told him. He really hurt that Omega, after being hurt by the Fire Nation, and he really didn’t deserve it. Maybe he should think about the way he was fighting. He did it for his people, to protect them from the bad guys. But if he was hurting innocent people, then he was nothing more than a bully… And then, what made him different from the Fire Nation soldiers? But… “Argh, my head hurt. I’ll just go back and try again tomorrow. I’m sure we’ll catch some Fire Nation pigs if we keep it up, we’ll just have to try harder next time!” He grumbled, using his hook swords to swing from branch to branch, going back to his warriors. They just needed to try harder, he was sure of it. Next time will be different, and they will catch those freaking soldiers!


	6. The Journey, Part 3: Peaceful heart, warrior's spirit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!
> 
> So, I should be studying for a final (or working on my thesis), but here I am... It's a bit short, and I'm not sure about it, but it's mostly a filler before they reach Ba Sing Se (which should happen in the next chapter... maybe...). 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, thanks for the comments and the kudos, I really appreciate them :) 
> 
> (Again, I don't have a Beta, so please forgive any mistake you see)

Three weeks after their encounter with the Freedom Fighters, and Zuko was slowly regaining his confidence again. The first few days it was a throwback to his days as Azula’s beating bag, but with his Uncle’s help he was shedding that constant fear and getting stronger by the day. To be honest, he was a little ashamed of himself. A posturing, aggressive Alpha was all it took to turn him into a scaredy-cat, it was pathetic… His Uncle kept telling him how it was normal, that he was still healing, that it didn’t make him weak, but he wasn’t convinced. He had enough time to get over it, his time in the village interacting with Alphas should have cured him of that… but not really. He knew he still wasn’t strong enough to defend himself without depending on his Uncle, he couldn’t possibly have won a fight with that Alpha, Jet, and his gaggle of kid-warriors, even if they were just kids. They were outnumbered, and Zuko wouldn’t have been able to seriously fight them, he couldn’t hurt children. And Jet was stronger than him… Besides, it wasn’t like he could just Fire Bend his way out of there, his skills were still at a beginner’s level, and it would’ve been a death sentence for both of them, so it wasn’t an option.  He needed to get stronger, not just as a Firebender, but as a fighter. So, he asked his Uncle for more training.

 

At first, Iroh wasn’t so sure. He said that Zuko was advancing on an accelerated pace on his training, and that all he needed was time to practice, but his nephew insisted. So, they dedicated even more day time to his training, deciding to keep moving until late hours of the night to compensate before resting for the night. They traveled like that for three weeks, until they were running low on provisions again, and had to change directions towards a village so they could replenish all their supplies. Iroh was planning on only passing through, buy what they needed and keep going to Ba Sing Se, but as they approached the village they saw it was in the middle of some sort of festival.

 

“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to stay for the night, enjoy the rest of the festival, and leave tomorrow at first hour” Said his Uncle as they were entering the village. “It would be strange to arrive to a celebrating village only to keep going, seeing as it would be full of strangers here, we should grab this opportunity to rest on a proper bed for a night, and enjoy the festivities while we are here. You have never been to a festival before, right nephew?”

 

“Not that I remember, Uncle. I didn’t get out of the Palace much…”

 

“Hmmm… Well, now it’s your chance to see what happens on a solstice festival. Let’s go find somewhere to spend the night and leave the Ostrich-Horses, then we can look around to buy our provisions, and who knows, maybe we will find a little treasure hidden away!” Smiled his Uncle, dismounting and walking towards a building that looked like an inn, Zuko hurrying to follow after him.

 

“A treasure? What kind of treasure, Uncle?”

 

“Oh, who knows, nephew! In this kind of festivities you find the most curious things being sold by merchants of all Nations! Though I don’t think we’ll see much of the Fire Nation, as far into the Earth Kingdom as we are… But maybe you’ll find something interesting, I will look for the elusive white lotus tile to complete my pai sho set!” Exclaimed Iroh, still smiling as they reached the inn. They paid for a room to spend the night, left their bags in the room and their Ostrich-Horses in the byre, and went out to explore. Iroh deemed the village safe enough to go on their separate ways, only asking Zuko to reconvene at the inn by dinner time.

 

“I didn’t see anything dangerous here, so it should be safe, just stay with the crowd. Feel free to go around and buy something you like, nephew.”  Said his Uncle after giving him some coins. So Zuko decided to look around. He wasn’t looking for anything really, he doubted he would actually buy something, but he was curious about the festival, so he followed the crowd around to watch what was happening. He saw many stands, some full of food or sweets, others with clothes, all kind of trinkets, with toys, or weapons, or many stuff he hadn’t seen before. Everything was so colorful and new, and Zuko found that he was enjoying the festival a lot. He stopped in every stand he saw, including a small made-up theater to watch a play about an Avatar from the Earth Kingdom.

 

He wished the Avatar came back and stopped the war, but unlike his Uncle, Zuko didn’t have much faith in that. If the Avatar hadn’t appeared in over 100 years of war, it meant that the cycle was broken and the Avatar gone… To stop the war, the remaining Nations had to unite against the Fire Nation, and fight back, but after 100 years of oppression the Water Tribes were in crisis. The Southern Water Tribe was almost non-existent, with no Water Benders remaining and no contact with its sister Tribe; and the Northern Tribe, while much better and still prospering, was under constant attack, and it could only resist for so long before becoming as repressed as the Southern Tribe was. On the other hand, the Earth Kingdom was in better conditions: it’s major cities were still impenetrable fortresses and safe havens for war refugees, but the smaller villages were slowly being invaded, all Earth Benders found in them sent to work with coal, so Zuko knew it was only a matter of time before they too fell under the attacks of the Fire Nation.

 

He wasn’t allowed to sit with the Fire Lord and his generals like Azula did, but she liked to brag about all the privileges she had, and that included telling him about what their father discussed with his generals, and how he asked his daughter for input while planning attacks as practice, training her to become the Fire Lord strategist before she ascended to the throne. So, even if they united to fight, they would need a miracle to win this war with the odds they had. In any case, Zuko thought that he preferred to fight than just stand by and let the soldiers do as they pleased, even if it didn’t achieve anything bigger than freeing a small village, at least he would be helping people.

 

That’s when he decided he would do anything he could to help people in need, he couldn’t just keep to the sidelines and do nothing while others were being hurt by the Fire Nation soldiers, he felt like he had to take responsibility for all the damage they were doing. But for that he needed to be stronger, and he needed to get better with his dual swords, as he couldn’t openly use Fire Bending (he could subtly redirect a blast, or dampen its potency so it wouldn’t make too much damage, but that was it, he couldn’t expose himself or his Uncle). Also, he had to conceal his identity, after all the trouble his Uncle went through to get him out of the Fire Nation, to get him to Ba Sing Se safely, it wouldn’t be fair to just throw it to the trash by getting his face on Wanted flyers all around. It would also get the attention of the Fire Lord and Princess, and he really didn’t want to get back anywhere near them, he didn’t have a death wish.

 

Those were his thoughts when he reached a mask stand, and stopped to look at the colorful disguises. Some were of animals, other of spirits, and a few were of famous warriors from the past. All were beautiful, but one stood out. It was a blue and white mask, the face displaying a big, fierce grin with white fangs going out of the mouth on each side. He grabbed it and pulled it closer to observe it better.

 

“I see you’re quite taken with that mask, young man” Said the merchant with a smile, surprising Zuko.

 

“Umm…”

 

“That’s the Blue Spirit. The Legend says it was a mischief maker who liked to prank unsuspecting people, nothing harmful, just to warn them off.”

 

“To warn them off? From what?”

 

“From danger, of course. The Blue Spirit was a protector, so it would prank people that were unaware of danger, to make them walk away from the dangerous situation. But it was also a fierce warrior, so it would fight people he sensed would intentionally harm others. All that is reflected in the war paint of its face, as well as in its fierce, but playful smile.”

 

“A protector, huh?” Zuko smiled, it was exactly what he needed. “I’ll it!”

 

So, he returned to the inn with the Blue Spirit mask, hidden in cloth so no one would see it, and found his Uncle was already there, waiting for him.

 

“Ah, Lee!” Exclaimed Iroh, and Zuko’s face twitched. He still didn’t like that name; his only consolation was that it was better than Mushi… but anything was better than Mushi… “I see you found something interesting in the festival! What did you buy? Sadly, I couldn’t find my tile here, I’ll have to keep looking… But while I was buying our provisions, I found Ginseng AND Jasmine tea leaves!”

Zuko smiled, he loved how his Uncle could be so happy with something as simple as tea. He really was a great Alpha, he gave him hope that not all Alphas were like Ozai and Azula, that maybe he could find a mate that would love him and treat him right. But if that happened, it wouldn’t be for many years, he didn’t think he was prepared for that yet. “That’s great, Uncle Mushi, I missed your tea. The pre-made bags of tea is not the same.”

 

“Ah, yes nephew, tea making is an art few can master, and those bags were poor substitutes… but fear not! These leaves will last us for the rest of the Journey!” Smiled Iroh. He was aware Zuko didn’t like tea as much as he did, but preparing and drinking the beverage had become a tradition for them after a meditation or training session, so he knew his nephew appreciated his tea as much as he did, if only for the sentimental value of those moments. “Also, I managed to find everything we needed, and the packages will be sent to the inn before the night’s over. I suggest we take advantage of the baths here and clean ourselves properly before we go to sleep, who knows when will be the next time we get an opportunity like this.” So, they went to their rooms to grab a change of clothes before going to the baths.

 

Zuko was glad he could enjoy the privilege of hot water and bath salts, after weeks of bathing in random rivers that were too cold for comfort. The baths were private, so he was alone in the small wooden bath, his Uncle taking his bath in another room. Not that it really mattered, he was sure his Uncle changed his diapers when he was a baby, as he never believed in letting nannies raise the children, even if they were nobles. Also, after weeks on the wild, they had seen each other naked countless of times, and Zuko was over being embarrassed. After all, Iroh was more his father than his Uncle, always was. But the rules in the inn were that no one could take a bath together (unless it was a parent with small children, in that case it was allowed).

 

After cleaning themselves, they found out all their recently bought supplies was sent to their room, so the made sure to pack everything so they could leave early in the morning. They went to bed and Zuko was almost falling asleep when he heard his Uncle talking to him. “Oh! You never answered me, nephew. What did you buy in the festival?” Asked Iroh, curious.

 

“Just a mask.” Answered Zuko honestly. For a brief moment, he thought about lying to his Uncle, but in the end, he decided against it. He was sure that if he went around fighting soldiers with his dual swords, even with a mask, sooner or later his Uncle will recognize his fighting style and the swords. It would be better, and easier for both, if his Uncle knew from the beginning. “I’ll show you in the morning.” After that, they fell asleep. In the morning, Zuko would ask his Uncle for even more training. He was done being scared, now he would fight. He’ll be the first Omega warrior from the Fire Nation in almost 100 years, and he’ll be as strong as any Alpha warrior out there. For the first time in three weeks, Zuko felt at peace again.

 


	7. Training, training and more training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> Yes, I'm still alive... aaaand, guess what? I finally finished my thesis!!! (Well, I still have some major editing to do... hehehe -.-')
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the long wait. I'm in another country in an exchange program, have been here for a month actually, but I don't have internet in the apartment I'm renting D: (some issues with the place, so no Wi-Fi for me T.T), so it's been hard to get time to write and update...
> 
> In any case, here's the next chapter! Iroh wanted to be heard in here, lol :P
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and kudos!

The morning after the festival started early in the village. It was full of life, with everyone working by the sunrise, cleaning up and taking down the stands. The merchants were all preparing to leave, loading whichever trinkets they couldn’t sell into carts, and then going together as a caravan.

 

“Well, time to go Lee!” Said Iroh, startling Zuko.

 

“Umm, do you think they will be alright, Uncle?” Said Zuko, still looking at the caravan of merchants in the distance, thinking how the Fire Nation soldiers tended to ambush travelers (one of the many reasons why they never took the busy roads, staying in the less known paths while travelling).

 

“You’ll be surprised, nephew. By travelling in large numbers, they discourage most bandits from approaching, and the ones who do find themselves in a hairy situation.” He said while getting on his Ostrich Horse, Zuko following suit and both started moving, following the path the caravan used, they will take a side road later. “I know what you’re thinking: they are not soldiers, have no training, and will be in danger. But the truth is, most merchants are former soldiers, or descendants of soldiers from the Earth Kingdom. They aren’t Benders, most Earth Benders on this part of the Kingdom are either captured or in hiding. But they are survivors, probably used to be refugees too, that had adopted this life in order to support their families. They know how to fight, and can defend themselves against most attacks. Unless they encounter a whole Platoon -or a Company, if they’re unlucky- they’ll be alright. But the way they’re going, the largest group they could encounter will be a small Squad, so don’t worry dear nephew, they’ll arrive safe and sound to their destination.”

 

“Well, that’s a relieve.” Said Zuko, calmer now that he knew the merchants would be alright, not noticing the fond smile Iroh sent his way.

 

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask you! What did you buy?”

 

Zuko got the mask out of a nearby bag, and showed it to his uncle, explaining the story behind the Blue Spirit, and what he wanted to do. Iroh examined the mask, listening to his nephew’s plan to become stronger, so he could defend people from the Fire Nation. It made him proud to hear that, he always knew his nephew was a warrior, he only needed the chance to prove it to himself. But it was a bittersweet feeling. His own Nation was the one behind all the death and the suffering; the reason why his nephew’s spirit was so hurt, so bruised, but thankfully not broken.

 

He was only glad that Zuko didn’t let that stop him from becoming the warrior he was supposed to be, and Iroh will make sure his nephew was prepared. Zuko had been asking him to level up the difficulty of his training for a long time now, but Iroh hadn’t wanted to do that until he was completely sure his nephew had the basics down. But Zuko had mastered the first stage of his training.  His control was perfect, his mind calm, and his Fire Bending reacted accordingly to his emotions, but no matter how angry or frustrated he became while training, it was never hate-based. Now he could start dueling with his nephew, and teach him more advanced techniques that would improve his Fire Bending. But Zuko couldn’t rely on Fire Bending for what he wanted to do, so he would have to train his nephew to master the dual swords.

 

Iroh could proudly say that his nephew was almost there, he was a natural fighter and managed the dual swords as if he was born using them, but he was young and still needed practice and experience to become a true Swordsman. Plus, Zuko was an Omega, so his fighting style was all about his speed and quick thinking, not strength. Opposite of Iroh’s, who relied on his strength, like Alphas tend to do. That meant he had to train his nephew in a fighting style he wasn’t used to, but that also gave Zuko an advantage, because he could fight with a trusted Alpha and learn their fighting style in safe way.

 

After thinking for a while, Iroh noticed Zuko was looking at him, a worried frown on his face, and he realized he hadn’t said anything yet to his nephew. The young Omega was probably thinking he wouldn’t approve of what he wanted to do. His dear nephew, always the worrywart. “Do you know what that means, nephew?”

 

“What, Uncle?” Asked Zuko, apprehensively.

 

Iroh smiled. “It means, my dear nephew, that your training just got a lot harder. I hope you’re prepared for that, Blue Spirit.” Zuko looked shocked for a second, then his face brightened and he beamed a smile Iroh hasn’t seen on the teen’s face in years. It sent a bittersweet pang through his chest, and Iroh thought that would be something he would be feeling constantly. Zuko’s reactions to the simplest things were sometimes painful to watch, but he was glad his nephew was mostly happy these days; and he knew that, with time and proper encouraging -which he would give freely-, Zuko will heal and be as happy and sure of himself and his abilities as any other person out there. “We’ll start with the physical part of your training first, and work on your dual sword fighting. While working on that, we’ll make sure you refine your fighting style, while also improving your stamina. After that, we’ll start with hand to hand combat, so you get a feel of how to fight bigger and stronger than you. Meanwhile, you’ll keep practicing all the katas you know so far, as well as continue your meditation sessions. That way, when we start on Fire Bending dueling, your fighting and Fire Bending skills will be well polished, and by the time we reach Ba Sing Se, even if you cannot practice at first, your training will be complete. It’s an intensive training schedule, but I believe you’ll be a Master Swordsman and a Fire Bending Master by the time we reach Ba Sing Se, do you think you can do it, Zuko?”

 

Iroh watched his nephew closely, and only saw determination burning in his eyes. “Yes, Uncle!”

 

Iroh couldn’t be any prouder if he tried, as hard as it would be, he was sure if anyone could do it, it would be Zuko. He smiled at his nephew, receiving an answering smile, before he remembered something. “We have to take into account that your first heat will happen any time in the next two weeks, Zuko. Because of the suppressants, you won’t go into full heat, so you will hopefully only feel some minor discomfort. Late summer heats tend to be milder, but we can’t take anything for sure. ‘Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between’, as an old friend used to say”.

 

“Hmmm…” said Zuko. He was scared of his heat, Iroh could tell. Something normal in a young Omega, specially one who didn’t have an Omega parent to guide him through his first heat.

 

“Don’t worry, Zuko. No matter what happens, I’ll be there for you.”

 

“I know, Uncle” Smiled Zuko, calming down again. “Like always”. With that, they steered their Ostrich Horses off the road and into a small path going North-East, roughly in direction of the Serpent Pass. They won’t cross it, Iroh deeming it way too dangerous. They would cross the Great Divide by ship instead, blending in with other refugees going to Ba Sing Se. They will have to double back a little for that, but that was the safest way to arrive. And so, route set and plan made, they went on.

 

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The first part of Zuko’s training went fast and smoothly, just like Iroh predicted. He was proud to say his nephew was a prodigy with the dual swords, so young and so talented, especially after receiving his training well into his teenage years. He had nothing more to teach him, only time and experience could show the Omega something new. Still, they dueled every afternoon after choosing a spot to spend the night, travelling during the morning so they could use that time for training.

 

“You’re a born Swordsman, Zuko!” Exclaimed Iroh, proudly, after finishing a duel. “I haven’t seen such talent with dual swords since my friend Piandao!” Zuko blushed, even if he didn’t get much information from outside de Palace when he lived there -an Omega didn’t deserve those privileges under Ozai’s reign-  he had heard the stories about Master Piandao, the best Swordsman in the whole Fire Nation. His talent was such that even after leaving the army, he still was acclaimed as the best warrior in the Nation, and every Alpha wanted to be his student- even Azula, but she grew bored quickly and never learned how to properly fight with a sword-.

 

“Thank you, Uncle. But surely you’re exaggerating, my skills can’t compare with those of a Master.” Said Zuko, embarrassed but happy.

 

“Oh, but they can… Master Zuko” Teased Iroh, and watched as his nephew blushed a deep red. “Hahahaha, don’t be embarrassed, Zuko! I’m only stating facts! Now come on, lest rest. We’ll continue tomorrow. By the way, happy 16th Birthday, Zuko.” Said Iroh, and reached to hug his nephew. They couldn’t celebrate properly now, but one day…

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The next stage of the intensive training was both simple and tough for Zuko. Simple because, just like with his swords training, both hand to hand combat and Fire Bending training came naturally to his nephew. The Omega was quick on his feet, and very smart, so he learned everything Iroh had to teach him in hand to hand combat, and Iroh was confident his nephew could defend himself -and others, if necessary- if he ever gets in a situation in which he cannot Fire Bend and doesn’t have his swords near. Also, he learned his nephew could be a cheeky little shit when he wanted to.

 

“Are you certain you can keep fighting, Uncle? You’re not that young anymore, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt” Teased Zuko after putting un practice one of the moves Iroh teached him, which used one’s opponent’s strength against them, and throwing them hard on the ground.

 

Iroh stared at his nephew in disbelieve from his place on the floor. He was proud of his nephew’s progress, but he was ecstatic to see Zuko joking carefree, mischief shinning from the teen’s eyes. Still, he wouldn’t let the brat get away with it. “Oooh, I’ll show you old. Come here Zuko, I’ll teach you a new throw.” Smirked Iroh while getting up.

 

So, the hand to hand combat was simple, easy to learn from Zuko. And he was a great Fire Bender, after leaving his doubts behind and starting to believe in himself, he advanced on his training like the prodigy Iroh was sure he was. He learned technique after technique with an easy he hadn’t seen before, he practiced his katas until he was sure they were perfect, and he achieved such deep meditation states that Iroh almost believed his nephew was able to speak with the Spirits.

 

But then came the tough part, when Iroh woke up one day to find a feverish Zuko trembling in his sleeping bag. His heat had started, exactly two weeks after they started his training. It wasn’t the worst heat Iroh had witnessed, but he was sure it must feel like that for Zuko. So he made sure to keep him company and that he had all he needed.

 

“Uncle, I don’t feel well…” whined Zuko, trembling while Iroh tried to lower the fever with a wet cloth, wiping his nephew’s forehead and neck.

 

“I know, Zuko, I know. I’m sorry” said Iroh, sadly and trying to make his nephew comfortable. He knew the side effects of a heat while using suppressants weren’t pleasant for the users, making them feel like they had a bad case of the flu. But, sadly, that was better than the alternative, being on the run and out in the open as they were. At least it made the heats shorter too, so his nephew wouldn’t have to feel like that for much longer. “You’ll feel better soon, I promise. Now, drink some water, here…”

 

The heat lasted two and a half days, but by the end of it Zuko was feeling much better, only having to endure a mild headache for the last of it. It didn’t take much time while happening, but Zuko needed a couple of days to completely recover from it. So, Iroh decided they would stay put until he was sure Zuko could keep traveling and continue his training, much to Zuko’s annoyance, who insisted he was alright already.

 

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In the end, even with the heat interrupting the training, and Zuko feeling unwell for a couple of days after that, the hardest part of the training was the Fire Bending duels. Even knowing his uncle would never hurt him, Zuko would froze up whenever Iroh took the traditional position for starting a duel. He knew it was still difficult for his nephew to duel after the traumatic experience he had on his first one. On the really bad days, he watched as his nephew clutched his shoulder, right where his burn scar was, and cowered from him, lost in his memories of that dreadful day. But other days-the really good ones-, Zuko would fight fiercely and never backed down. On those days, Iroh tried to teach him as many techniques as he could manage, practicing them over and over again until he had it down. Either way, he could never stop being proud of his strong nephew, who fought with tooth and nails against his fears. Some days it was easier, but he would always be by his side and help him on everything he could. And, little by little, he watched as Zuko mastered Fire Bending, and when he finally had nothing more to teach him, and Zuko rarely hesitated to start a duel, he felt more like a proud father than a proud uncle.

 

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After weeks traveling and training, they finally reached their destination. Iroh spotted the Great Divide in the distance, maybe half a day of traveling away, and pointed out to Zuko.

 

“Look Zuko, the final stretch on our travel to Ba Sing Se. By this time tomorrow, we’ll be on the ship that will take us to the other side. After that, a couple of days riding our Ostrich Horses and we’ll be in front of the gates. After that, a whole new life awaits us.” He smiled, looking in the distance. After a while, they started moving again, after all, they had a ship to board.


End file.
